There are spoilers, so be careful if you haven't seen the movie.
Many comments think that this film basically proves the superficial view of beauty and love. The argument is that the male protagonist can only have the courage to talk to the female protagonist when he is online, and he can only be responsible for laughing when he is offline. . According to this, Li Xiu's feelings for Yu Zhen are considered to be superficial love based on appearance, and Li Xiu's appreciation of Yu Zhen's inner beauty is therefore superficial.
However, is Yuzhen's skin and his inner being really the only focus of the film? Does the title "Inner Beauty" only refer to Yuzhen's inner beauty?
A detail in the movie that is overlooked by many people is that Yu Zhen's affection for Li Xiu began from his long-term observation of Li Xiu in different skins: no matter what skin he used to appear in the furniture store where Li Xiu worked, it was a male. Whether it is female, beautiful or ugly, old or young, Li Xiu's attitude is always the same: patient and friendly, and sincerely willing to help all kinds of customers find suitable furniture objects through her passion and knowledge of furniture.
The film did not show much about the setting of Yuzhen's skin, and the extended plot that the audience should have imagined was: the skin that changed every day not only cut off Yuzhen's possibility of developing any long-term relationships, but also let him see The world treats different skins differently. The day before, if you are a beautiful woman or a handsome young man, you will be treated with enthusiasm, and the next day, if you are a middle-aged woman or a dross old man, you will be disliked by all kinds of things. The world depends on appearance and external conditions, and it is so straightforward and cruel.
This is also the fundamental reason why Yu Zhen fell in love with Li Xiu. In a world where the way of getting along is generally determined based on looks, Li Xiu shows him another possibility through his day-to-day, unconscious actions. According to this, what the film focuses on is actually Li Xiu's inner beauty, the real fraternity spirit contained in her character. In her day-to-day interactions with different customers, she is not treated differently because of appearance and appearance, but only constant patience, understanding and warmth. This setting is also logically reasonable: only after a certain period of unknowing observation did Yu Zhen realize that Li Xiu, who had not noticed before, but had been in contact with him through different skins.
This is the first layer of Li Xiu's inner beauty: fraternity.
How many people in the world can guarantee to treat each other consistently regardless of their external conditions?
Li Xiu, who learned the truth, was shocked at first, she chose to leave, and Yu Zhen returned to a lonely life. However, Li Xiu chose to try to accept Yu Zhen, whose skin was constantly changing, after repeated deliberation and entanglement. This process is destined to be extremely challenging: if you are lucky, Yu Zhen may be a handsome or beautiful little fresh meat, and the two can also enjoy a fresh relationship; but perhaps in many cases, Yu Zhen may be unattainable. Desire of middle-aged women/senior old men/greasy uncles/etc. The most worrying thing is that when Li Xiu didn't know what kind of skin Yu Zhen was today, if he had an accident, Li Xiu might never know where Yu Zhen was, what happened, and whether he was still alive in this world. ...
Perhaps due to aesthetic and commercial considerations, the movie cannot show these scenes one by one, but an empathetic audience should be able to imagine the extreme uncertainty and insecurity that Li Xiu needs to experience every day in the process of getting along. However, she chose to maintain this relationship, even if she needed to take medicine to maintain a normal life due to stress and anxiety.
This is the second layer of Li Xiu's inner beauty: brave.
How many people in the world can still bravely try different possibilities without giving up in the face of extreme, persistent uncertainty and insecurity?
Of course, the premise that Li Xiu is willing and able to bear these uncertainties is that Yu Zhen and her have similar interests and hobbies, and the two have compatible personalities and pleasant communication. This is also the in-depth discussion of love conveyed by the film: maybe at the beginning of love, skin is indispensable; but is the long-term maintenance of love and getting along day and night based on skin? If the day-to-day getting along is also based on the quality of the skin, then the relationship between Li Xiu and Yu Zhen is unlikely to last.
Moreover, the challenge of this relationship to Li Xiu is not limited to the level of the two-person world. Love, like other social relationships, cannot exist in a vacuum. The sense of identity and satisfaction that love brings often comes not only from the partner, but also from the attitude of relatives and friends on both sides towards the relationship (in more traditional Asian societies, the attitude of family and friends towards love is even more important). In the relationship between Li Xiu and Yu Zhen, Li Xiu bears disproportionate social pressure: Yu Zhen can introduce Li Xiu to his mother and good friends, but Li Xiu cannot simply introduce Yu Zhen to his family And friends and colleagues, but also to bear the gossip from all directions. It's not Yu Zhen or Li Xiu's fault, it's just the complicated and cruel reality of this relationship.
This heavy pressure constitutes the core reason why Yu Zhen decided to leave Li Xiu: the price of maintaining this relationship is the double "destruction" of Li Xiu's body and mind, which Yu Zhen does not want to see. As Woo Jin lamented, love alone cannot solve all problems, and love itself is sometimes a problem. The uncertainty and insecurity of love itself that Li Xiu endured, as well as the lack of social support for this love, were all things that Yu Zhen could not simply solve unilaterally. The only way for Li Xiu to maintain a "normal life" is for Yu Zhen to leave.
The disappearance of Yu Zhen gave Li Xiu the space to deeply reflect on herself and this relationship. I can understand Li Xiu's thinking very well: even though my skin seems to be the same on the surface, aren't the different experiences and feelings every day creating a different me little by little? How important are other concerns and pressures compared to the pain of a loved one disappearing from your life? Isn't the core of love just getting along with each other day and night? What's the point of "normal life" without a partner who understands you? If my insecurity comes from passiveness that can only be found, what can I do to change it?
The end of the film is a subtle change in the identities of the two: Li Xiu has changed from a passive "seeker" to a "seeker", and bravely chooses to continue her relationship with Yu Zhen, even in the face of various uncertainties and challenges in the future. You will be under disproportionate pressure on yourself.
Yu Zhen: But you may have to continue taking medicine.
Li Xiu: Yes.
The ultimate romance, isn't it the feeling of letting go of everything and forgetting myself? Because life without the other person is "normal" and meets the expectations of society, but it is not happy.
This is also the third layer of Li Xiu's inner beauty: authenticity.
How many people in the world can deeply reflect on themselves and pursue their true hearts when faced with pressure and settings from all sides of society?
Aside from the film's setting about the skin, this is actually a love story about courage, sacrifice and giving. It is impossible for us to meet a partner who randomly changes skins every day, but it is also unlikely that we happen to meet a lover with perfect comprehensive conditions and unanimous approval by relatives and friends. Many times, one party in love needs to bear disproportionate pressure and pain, and this may not be anyone's fault, but just "forced by life" and destiny. In the face of the possibility of imperfection, how to choose is the ultimate indicator to define our inner self.
"There is only one true heroism in the world, and that is to love life after knowing the truth of life."
- Romain Rolland
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